Keeping A Prayer Journal

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I’m thinking of keeping a prayer journal and need some guidelines to get started and to continue with it. Any suggestions? If you know of any websites that have good Catholic information on the matter, that’s helpful, too. Thanks and God bless!
 
I am not sure what guideline you need. A prayer journal is the conversation between you and the Lord. I have the habit of writing my prayer journal. Basically, it is my conversation with the Lord on paper. I pour out my heart to Him about anything happened, anything in my mind, as well as any impression I receive from Him.
 
I will be giving a workshop on journaling at our parish in a few weeks. Basically there are no rules. You write what you feel like writing. Usually I write after a period of prayer or sometimes during prayer if something comes to me that I really don’t want to forget. Sometimes I use my journal to vent and then pray with what I wrote.
 
To me a prayer journal needs to be something that no one else sees, it’s part of my daily journaling anyway as prayer is part of my life. Also, writing longhand seems to help me to pray from my heart.
 
Mine is not only for prayer journalling purposes…it’s for everything…probably more of a daily diary although I don’t write in it everyday. I used to keep it in exercise books but now I have a computer I keep it in Word. I’ve been doing this for at least 15 years it must be, perhaps longer.
I do keep an exercise book in my prayer room/oratory to jot down the results of my daily examination of conscience. I take this to Confession with me - if I try to make an examination of conscience immediately before Confesssion, my mind goes blank and try as I may I can’t move out of it. Living alone I have no problems about someone else reading either my diary or examen and that is very helpful - while life living alone can have its problems.
Blessings this Easter Season…Barb:)
 
If you’re going to bring your prayer journal with you when you leave home (e.g., to church, etc.), I would warn against writing anything in it that you wouldn’t want a stranger to read. I had a canvas bag stolen from my car once in a church parking lot. The bag contained my prayer journal, favorite rosary (handmade by a friend), and several prayer books. It was rather disturbing. I had to just turn the matter over to God and trust Him not to let anything bad come of it.

Another matter: if you’re not careful, journaling can become an end in itself, rather than a means to an end (better prayer). It’s easy to start writing so much that you have little time left for actual prayer. When I found myself in this situation, I stopped journaling and started PRAYING.

Also, journaling can (but doesn’t always) become a source of pride — one can become prideful about writing down “beautiful words,” and this defeats the purpose. If you find this happening, it might be good to stop or to discuss it with your spiritual director or confessor. Some spiritual directors encourage journaling, others recommend strongly against it.
 
I really don’t know why directors would be against journaling. I find it is a record of my spiritual journey. I often go back and read it to see my own progress. I bring it with me to direction so I can recall things that happened during the month and thoughts that came to me and how I reacted to it in prayer. My director strongly encourages it.

As far as beautiful writing, well, if anyone actually read it with all the spelling and grammatic errors, run on sentances, and sometimes unintelligable thoughts, they would wonder who the heck was this person who is writing this stuff. In fact they may think I am a bit nuts. I’m not writing anything to get published. I am writing to help me in my spiritual journey.
 
Joannm said:
I really don’t know why directors would be against journaling. I find it is a record of my spiritual journey. I often go back and read it to see my own progress. I bring it with me to direction so I can recall things that happened during the month and thoughts that came to me and how I reacted to it in prayer. My director strongly encourages it.

As far as beautiful writing, well, if anyone actually read it with all the spelling and grammatic errors, run on sentances, and sometimes unintelligable thoughts, they would wonder who the heck was this person who is writing this stuff. In fact they may think I am a bit nuts. I’m not writing anything to get published. I am writing to help me in my spiritual journey.
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If it works for you, that’s great. I just meant that it’s not for everybody. The following is from Father Thomas Dubay’s book, Seeking Spiritual Direction:

Question: What do you think of keeping a prayer journal? Is this beneficial or is it a distraction, another passing fad?

Comment: Whatever position one takes on this practice, a prayer journal is only a means to an end. It should be viewed and evaluated as such. To keep a record of one’s prayer as a goal in itself could be a form of narcissism. Hence, if journaling really helps one grow, well and good. But if it subtly becomes a practice sought for itself, it is an encumbrance. St. Teresa took a dim view of writing about one’s prayer. In her own down-to-earth sort of way she noted that if one has a real experience of God, it will not be forgotten. If it would be forgotten, she considered it not worth recording.
 
PhilotheaZ said:
If you’re going to bring your prayer journal with you when you leave home (e.g., to church, etc.), I would warn against writing anything in it that you wouldn’t want a stranger to read. I had a canvas bag stolen from my car once in a church parking lot. The bag contained my prayer journal, favorite rosary (handmade by a friend), and several prayer books. It was rather disturbing. I had to just turn the matter over to God and trust Him not to let anything bad come of it.
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That is indeed very disturbing. I sometimes bring my journal to church and write it in front of the tabernacle. I always keep it with me, try not to let it out of my sight if I am not in the house. As for at home, I never worry anyone else will peek in. Our family seem to respect the other’s privacy pretty good. I know if I lay my journal in front of them, they will not open it.
Another matter: if you’re not careful, journaling can become an end in itself, rather than a means to an end (better prayer). It’s easy to start writing so much that you have little time left for actual prayer. When I found myself in this situation, I stopped journaling and started PRAYING.
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My journal is my prayer. I start with “Dear Lord”, therefore, I find I actually concentrate better in prayer while doing it in the form of writing, especially in front of the tabernacle.
Also, journaling can (but doesn’t always) become a source of pride — one can become prideful about writing down “beautiful words,” and this defeats the purpose. If you find this happening, it might be good to stop or to discuss it with your spiritual director or confessor. Some spiritual directors encourage journaling, others recommend strongly against it.
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The thought of “Journaling becomes a source of pride” has never occurred to me. But it is a good reminder.

I know St. Teresa of Avila was against spiritual journal. But I don’t have to agree with everything she said. Personally I find it helpful.
 
InLight247 said:
The thought of “Journaling becomes a source of pride” has never occurred to me. But it is a good reminder.

I know St. Teresa of Avila was against spiritual journal. But I don’t have to agree with everything she said. Personally I find it helpful.
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It has never occured to me either. Sometimes I can go for a very long time without picking up my journal, but this Lent I wrote in it every day. I don’t think I write to remember what came to me in prayer as much as I write my reactions, which becomes fodder for future prayer. I also use it to vent frustrations, to get rid of them so that they do not lead to sin.
 
Joannm said:
It has never occured to me either. Sometimes I can go for a very long time without picking up my journal, but this Lent I wrote in it every day. I don’t think I write to remember what came to me in prayer as much as I write my reactions, which becomes fodder for future prayer. I also use it to vent frustrations, to get rid of them so that they do not lead to sin.
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I don’t necessarily write it every day either, though I do write it quite frequently. What you are doing is good. There is healing in letting out frustration with writings. Since I am addressing to God while writing my journal, it really brings comfort and peace. And the time I spend in writing is the time I am with the Lord.

By reviewing my old journal, like you mentioned earlier, helps me to know the long way I have traveled. I agree that if it is a real profound experience or encounter with the Lord, one will not forget. However, I never trust my own memory no matter how vivid it was at the time it happened. Just like we love to take photo shots for keep sake, writing down our prayers help us to recollect. Especially when our prayers were answered, the records help us to witness with no mistake.

I think each of us has to find our own way in prayer, in writing and in our communication with God. Each of us has a unique relationship with the Lord. God bless!
 
I think this is the first time I have ever disagreed then with St. Teresa if she doesn’t like spiritual journals (for her? as a contemplative nun? but I have a different sort of life than she and in a different century). As I said, my journal is prayer and other, too - it simply helps me to focus on Him to write out then ‘discuss’ my day to day concerns with Him. And as far as pride?:rotfl: You haven’t seen the grammatical/spelling/nutty mess that it is. I’m the only one for which it has any usefulness and the only one for which it has any interest, too, I’m sure.
 
I’ve been journaling daily or semi-daily for years, and it does help one to clear their head. For prayer journals I have tried both paper and online methods, and found that paper works best. I generally write lists of what I plan to pray about, have prayed about, and have received in response. Anything more than that feels excessive, like someone else said: I’m writing when I could be praying.

Keeping a journal of your prayer can help you pray more clearly and precisely, if you use it properly. In my case it has helped me to pray daily, instead of whenever I “felt like it”. I was already used to journaling daily, so combining the two habits made it come more naturally. Of course, as someone else said, there is always the possibility of choosing to write instead of praying, but resisting that temptation is a matter of responsibility.
 
There was a time I was very faithful to journaling. But I’ve gotten away from it. I think the key is to have a journal right by you somewhere so you can just write what comes directly to mind. What I do most often is that I’ll jot down a quote from Sacred Scripture or someone and write a prayer underneath it. But I really have to begin journaling again. I really like doing it.

:kissme: Kathy
 
I have been very hesitant in starting a prayer journal but after reading all your posts I think that I need one, for recording my prayer intentions as I pray them out, so that I can track the answers as they come. Also it helps me to analyse which part of my world I am ignoring in prayer if i have some sort of reference let say monthly. It is also a great aid for preparation for Confession, as I usually have trouble remembering if I did not jot it down. I am surely going to purchase a good quality diary and start being serious about my spiritual progress.
 
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